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Cyprinodon macularius

Baird and Girard, 1853

Desert Pupfish

G1Critically Imperiled Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
Very high - mediumThreat Impact
Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius). Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain (U.S. Government Work), via ECOS.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105718
Element CodeAFCNB02060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCyprinodontiformes
FamilyCyprinodontidae
GenusCyprinodon
Other Common Names
desert pupfish (EN)
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Cyprinodon eremus, described as a new subspecies of C. macularius by Miller and Fuiman (1987), was elevated to species status by Echelle et al. (2000).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2022-02-28
Change Date2000-12-08
Edition Date2022-02-28
Edition AuthorsMiskow, E. NDNH (2022)
Threat ImpactVery high - medium
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Small range in southern California, Arizona (all natural populations have been extirpated), and northwestern Mexico; range greatly reduced due to loss of native habitat. This fish has been extirpated from as much as 95% of its historical range.
Range Extent Comments
The historical range of the Desert Pupfish included the lower Colorado River Basin, the Gila River Basin, Laguna Salada, and the Rio Sonoyta Basin in southern Arizona to southeastern California, the Salton Sea and Laguna Salada basins, California and Mexico (Minckley and Marsh 2009, USFWS 2019). Currently this species occurs in California in the Salton Sink (San Felipe Creek/San Sebastian Marsh, upper Salt Creek, and shoreline pools and irrigation drains of Salton Sea, California); the main hot springs at El Doctor Cienega de Santa Clara (Ruiz-Campos et. al 2012), Sonora, Mexico; Laguna Salada, Baja California, Mexico; and Cerro Prieto (2 localities), Baja California, Mexico (USFWS 2010; see also Hendrickson and Varela 1989, Echelle et al. 2000, Minckley and Marsh 2009). No naturally occurring populations of C. macularius remain in Arizona (Minckley et al. 1991), but several reintroduced populations exist, and the species has been introduced in areas outside the native range, and multiple populations exist in artificial refugia.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by 4 naturally occurring metapopulations in 10 known locations (USFWS 2019). However, only one naturally occurring population (San Felipe Creek, California) is relatively secure (USFWS 2019). Approximately 47 captive or refuge populations (that do not qualify as Tier 3) exist, comprised of 34 in Arizona, 8 in California, and 5 in Sonora Mexico. (USFS 2019).
Threat Impact Comments
Populations now are drastically reduced due to marsh drainage, groundwater mining, deforestation, overgrazing, agricultural use of water, dam building, real estate development, encroachment by non-native vegetation such as Tamarix (Schoenherr 1988), pesticide blowover, and perhaps most important, introduction of exotic predators and competitors (especially Tilapia zilli, Oreochromis spp., and Mosquitofish).

Threats identified at the time of listing and in the recovery plan continue unabated. New nonnative aquatic species continue to establish within the Desert Pupfish's range, and previously existing nonnative species increase in numbers and distribution (Minckley and Marsh 2009). Human demands for water are unending, with the Salton Sea and Quitobaquito Springs suffering water level declines and the associated threats to the Desert Pupfish from water depletion, such as habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat quality still ongoing. Water availability to Desert Pupfish will continue to interact with predicted trends for warmer, drier, and more extreme hydrological conditions associated with climate change. Source: USFWS (2010).

This species is relatively intolerant of competition and predation; it is easily displaced by introduced fishes. It is tolerant of a limited amount of nondestructive intrusion (e.g., swimming), but reproduction easily can be disrupted.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

The Desert Pupfish is a small, robust fish, usually less than three inches in length. The lifespan is typically one year, but can be as long as three years. During the breeding season, males turn bright blue with a lemon yellow tail. Females are tan to olive in coloration with irregular, darker vertical bars on their sides.

Diagnostic Characteristics

The Desert Pupfish is a small (generally less than 3 inches in length) chunky fish that has a high tolerance for high temperatures, high salinities and low dissolved oxygen concentrations that exceed levels known for other freshwater fishes. The body of the adult Desert Pupfish is thick, chubby and laterally compressed. Males are larger than females. Males in breeding colors are bright, iridescent, metallic light-to sky-blue in color particularly on the top of the head and back toward the tail. The tail portion can be yellow to orange, and sometimes intense orange red. The other fins have dark margins. Females are silvery and often times have vertical dark bars on their sides, the fins are clear and occasionally have a dark spot on the anal fin. Juveniles of both sexes are similar in coloration as adult females.

Habitat

Habitat includes desert springs and outflow marshes, river-edge marshes, lakes, backwaters, saline pools, and stream pools, usually in areas with sand/silt substrates and aquatic plant life, limited surface flow, and water less than 1 meter in depth; original habitat probably was marshes and flood plain pools along the lower Colorado River and springs throughout the Salton Sink (Lee et al. 1980, Moyle 2002, Page and Burr 2011). This fish tolerates low oxygen levels, high temperatures, and high salinity. Males establish small territories prior to spawning, usually in water less than 1 meter deep (sometimes deeper). Eggs are laid on substrate of sand, mud, or perhaps preferentially on algal mat (Schoenherr 1988).

Most translocated and introduced populations are in human-constructed environments (USFWS 2010).

Ecology

Typically swims in loose schools, often in groups of similar size and age (Moyle 1976).

Reproduction

Spawning: spring and summer, or year-round in warm constant temperature environments. Each female may lay 50-800 eggs or more/season, depending on her size (Moyle 1976). Males defend eggs. Eggs hatch in 10 days at 20 C (within about 3 days according to Matthews and Moseley 1990). Reproduces at age 2-3 months in constant warm temperatures; first breeds at about 1 year in variable temperatures. Up to 2-3 generations per year (Matthews and Moseley 1990).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLAND
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS1Yes
CaliforniaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasUnknownExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge (31-70%)Serious - slightHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownSerious - slightHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge (31-70%)Extreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useUnknownExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesPervasive (71-100%)Extreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesPervasive (71-100%)Extreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownHigh - low
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsUnknownUnknownHigh - low
9.5 - Air-borne pollutants———

—

Roadless Areas (8)
Arizona (7)
AreaForestAcres
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
WinchesterCoronado National Forest13,459
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
CalienteCleveland National Forest5,953
References (42)
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  2. Brown, Larry (U.S. Geological Survey, WRD). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. June 2000.
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  4. Duncan, D. 2019. Recovery Plan Amendment for the Desert Pupfish (<i>Cyprinodon macularius</i>). Technical Report DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12448.33281
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